As was often the case for Gump Worsley during his time with the Rangers (1952-1963), it was never an easy night. Photo Credit: Neil Leifer of Getty Images. Of note, this Getty Images photo was taken on 10/21/1959.

What’s up everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. To kick things off, I want to say thanks to everyone for their feedback on my “New York Rangers Rink of Honor” blog. I must’ve got 40 or so emails, with most of the emails being as long as one of my blogs. Okay, maybe not that long, but you get the point!

It’s always cool to see that one of these blogs inspires someone to take the time out of their day, and write a lengthy & detailed response, to a virtual stranger. Getting these responses is akin to someone calling up a radio show. People may read these blogs or listen to sports radio, but it takes the true dedicated fanatic to actually interact with a writer or with a radio host.

As far as the book idea, I got some positive feedback on that, but obviously, that’s going to be a work in progress. As the author of “We Did Everything But Win”, George Grimm, said to me, “Maybe it’s a good idea for the Rangers 100th Year Anniversary.” Well if that’s my deadline, I got plenty of time to get there!

In today’s blog, I will be reviewing Gump Worsley’s autobiography, which is titled as “They Call Me Gump”. The book was originally published in 1975, and it’s a shame it was never reprinted. As it is, current books on hockey are considered “niche”, so there isn’t a demand for legendary autobiographies to be mass produced to a new generation. As time goes on, guys like Conn Smythe, Frank Boucher, Gump Worsley, etc and books from their era, will eventually all be forgotten. It’s a sad reality.

In the second part of today’s blog, I will talk everything that’s occurred since I last talked about the current state of the 2018-2019 New York Rangers. The two biggest news items of the week were Brady Skjei signing a six year deal and the Kevin Hayes rumors. If you don’t care about Gump Worsley (and that’s a shame if you don’t), feel free to scroll on down until you see the picture of Brady Skjei.

I hope you checked out the “New York Rangers Rink of Honor” blog! Photo Credit: MSG Networks

As usual, before getting into the meat and potatoes of today’s extravaganza, here are my most recent blogs, in case you missed them:

As you probably know by now, I’m a fan of the goalies and what makes/made them tick. When I did my Mike Richter vs Henrik Lundqvist blog (linked above) when getting exact numbers about those two men, I kept looking back at the goalies of the past. Instead of just focusing on Richter vs Lundqvist, I decided to do a mini-history on all the great Ranger goaltenders over the last 90+ years. As I said on that blog, and as I’ll say here again, despite only four Cups in 90+ seasons, the Rangers have had a long list of amazing net-minders. Lorne “Gump” Worsley is one of those men.

If any Ranger fan or hockey historian was making a “Mount Rushmore” of New York Ranger goalies, it is obvious that Mike Richter & Henrik Lundqvist are your first two names for that honor. Eddie Giacomin is most likely your third candidate. However, I would be pressed to argue, that you could debate that Davey Kerr or Chuck Rayner had a better career than Giacomin. That said, I do believe the common consensus for any “Mount Rushmore” of New York Ranger goalies, has Richter and Lundqvist on it, (Fans will argue over who’s better, but that’s not relevant here) and then Giacomin as the third man.

When it comes to the fourth man, the Rangers have a strong & long list of goalies to choose from. Is it the aforementioned 1940 Stanley Cup Champion & 1940 Vezina Trophy winner, Davey Kerr? Perhaps it’s the Hall of Famer and 1950 Hart Trophy winner, Chuck Rayner? Then again, maybe you look down the line, and make a case for John Vanbiesbrouck. However, one name that must be entered into the debate, is a one Lorne “Gump” Worsley.

In the case of Gump Worsley, who is in the Hall of Fame, the biggest knock on him is that, through no fault of his own, his Ranger teams were the worst in franchise history. Yes, Chuck Rayner had some god awful teams in front of him, and won a Hart Trophy in spite of that, but even he got a chance at a Stanley Cup in 1950. Cinderella run or not, the Rangers were one goal away from winning the Cup in 1950.

During Worsley’s time, the Rangers never got out of the first round, in the few times the team even made the playoffs. In fact, during Worsley’s run, the Rangers usually finished in 5th or 6th place, (in a six team league) save for one second place finish during the 1957-1958 season. (The Rangers would be eliminated in the first round of those playoffs in 6 games.)

A younger Gump Worsley, fresh off his Calder Trophy season of 1952-1953. Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Rangers have had many dark times in their history, but all these times started during and after World War II. In their first 14 seasons, the Rangers amassed three Stanley Cups, in a league where they had the biggest disadvantage. (Being the southernmost team in the NHL, the Rangers had the worst draft rights in those times, hence why Montreal was always a powerhouse.) As you may have heard, after the 1940 Cup win, the Rangers have only won one Stanley Cup in the last 79 years. Talk about SAD!

Chuck Rayner had a rough go of it during those World War II & post World War II seasons. As stated, he at least had one chance at a Cup. His successor, Gump Worsley, never did. Even if you move down the line and past Worsley’s era, Emile Francis would take the Giacomin Rangers to a Cup in 1972. While Giacomin never won a Cup, he at least had successful teams. John Davidson, despite a short stint as a starter, would make a Cup Final with the team in 1979.

As time moved on, despite the rotating goalies of the early 1980’s until John Vanbiesbrouck took over the job once and for all, the Rangers were a perennial playoff team. Granted, they got snuffed by the Islanders repeatedly, but fans at the time at least had hope. The Rangers were a playoff team.

After the 1980’s shortcomings, the Rangers would win the Stanley Cup in 1994. They would then enter another dark era, where they would miss the playoffs for 7 seasons (8 years if you include the lockout) and wouldn’t become a playoff team again until the Lundqvist era.

As you can see, over the course of 90+ seasons, despite the team’s missed chances at Stanley Cup victories, the team at least had a fighting chance. The only goalie in Rangers history to never have that chance was Gump Worsley.

Gump Worsley has the dubious distinction of being the starting goalie during the worst stretch of time in Rangers history. Where fans can debate who was the greatest goalie in Rangers history, you can’t debate Worsley’s era.

Without question or hesitation, in 90+ seasons, Worsley had the worst Ranger teams in front of him. And really, just think about that. Worsley, who would later win four Stanley Cups and two Vezina’s in Montreal, enroute to a Hall of Fame enshrinement, had the WORST Ranger teams in 90+ years. Talk about bad luck. Then again, as you’ll see as we move along, while it may have not worked out for the Rangers, once Worsley was traded by the Rangers, it most certainly worked out for the Gumper.

A great feature of “They Call Me Gump” are the now classic pictures of his era. Photo Credit: “They Call Me Gump”.

Acquiring this book turned out to be quite the hassle for me. If you visit the book review section of this site (Link available in the drop down menu) you can see that I’ve reviewed numerous hockey books. Since history is my favorite subject, I really enjoy books from eras that I wasn’t alive to witness. After all, how else can one appreciate and learn from the past?

Usually, when buying an old book, I can find any book used on Amazon for cents on the dollar. I’ve bought a ton of books, hockey and non-hockey related, for under a dollar, by purchasing a used copy on Amazon. This “They Call Me Gump” book turned out to be the exception. On Amazon, the book was/is going for $60, which is insane, considering the book sold for $6.95 in 1975 and there isn’t a demand for this book in 2018.

Upon further research, my efforts to find this book for a more reasonable price were fruitless. Every e-retailer had this book going for $50+, and that’s without shipping. And furthermore, it’s not like I can go to the library down the block and find this book. I can tell you this because I checked.

A Canadian hockey fan named Benoit Clairoux saw my ad and was looking to trade books. I didn’t have what he wanted, but saw the book he wanted on Amazon for a few bucks. I sent him money for the book he wanted and in return, he sent me “They Call Me Gump”.

So let it be told – the internet and Facebook can be used for good! Where else can an American and a Canadian exchange hockey literature at a minimal cost to either party? I think this is what Al Gore wanted to achieve when he first created the damn internet!

Anyway, once again, big thanks to Benoit Clairoux for getting this book to me!

As usual during Worsley’s era on Broadway, these 1958-1959 Rangers didn’t make the playoffs. Photo Credit: New York Rangers and the NHL

What drew me to this book, that I nearly dropped $60 on it before Benoit Clairoux came along, was that with all the reading I do, watching old games and listening to interviews, when it came to the great characters of the NHL, Gump Worsley’s name was always mentioned.

For some fans, you may know the legendary stories of Worsley. The most common “claim to fame” quotes from Worsley, despite a Hall of Fame career & team success away from the Rangers, came during his time on Broadway.

As the face of a terrible team, and facing 40-50 shots on goal a night (meaning he faced a higher number of attempted shots) Worsley was asked, “Which team in the league gives you the most trouble?” Worsley promptly responded – “The New York Rangers.”

Later on his career, Worsley would be embroiled in a feud with ex-Ranger and then Rangers head coach, Phil Watson. (Worsley talks about this feud in-depth in “They Call Me Gump”.) Worsley, due to his portly stature, was accused of having a “beer belly” by Watson. When told of this, Worsley told the media, “Just goes to show you what he he knows. I only drink Seagrams VO.”

And for those wondering, because I didn’t know either, the “VO” in Seagrams VO, stands for “Very Own.” The more you know!

Despite his outward appearance and being accused of having a “beer belly”, Worsley states and reiterates numerous times that he didn’t like the taste of beer. He was strictly a whisky man. Photo Credit: “They Call Me Gump”.

The second I received this book in the mail, I devoured it immediately. Clocking in at under 200 pages, this book is an easy read. Like Worsley himself, the book was entertaining and there weren’t any dry spots. Unlike other books, there weren’t 100 pages dedicated to Worsley’s youth and playing pond hockey. This book moves at a brisk pace and when Worsley was finished talking about his Rangers career near the 75 page mark, I was wondering how fast would he move through his Montreal days.

This book, which I thoroughly enjoyed, gave me one of those, “Wow, it’s a small world” moments. Worsley’s co-author for this book was sportswriter Tim Moriarty. For older fans, you may know the name from his work with NEWSDAY, a local paper, here on Long Island. Older fans may know Moriarity for his greater body of work, in both hockey and baseball.

Anyway, when I opened up “They Call Me Gump”, I saw this:

Tim Moriarty was a neighbor of mine and I never even knew it.

Tim Moriarty, a Rockville Centre resident, lived less than five minutes away from me, as I live in the town over, and near the border line. For those who don’t know, Moriarty died in 2006:

It’s amazing how I start this blog off looking to review “They Call Me Gump” and instead, I give you info on an American scribe, one that was an Islander fan at that. (Yes, reporters are supposed to be unbiased, but Moriarty was part of the Islanders fabric.)

Here’s the Gumper in 1962, right before his last full season with the Rangers. You could see the gray hairs coming in already. Photo Credit: Hockey Hall of Fame

“They Call Me Gump” was a great autobiographical book, which lives up to the hype. Worsley spoke openly and frankly throughout. Whether it was discussing his disdain for Phil Watson or Jacques Plante or talking about his admiration for Cesare Maniago or Wren Blair, Worsley had no problem baring it all.

What was also nice about Worsley, was that unlike other hockey players in their books, like Phil Esposito, Worsley was in fact, a true family man. Worsley raved about his wife and kids in “They Call Me Gump”. It’s nice to see that Worsley was a Hall of Famer, both on and off the ice. In other words, he was the anti-Terry Sawchuk.

What also struck me, as a Rangers fan, was Worsley dumping over Rod Gilbert during the end of the book where Worsley was talking about the “players of today.” (At the time of publication, the 1974-1975 & 1975-1976 NHL rosters.)

I’m telling you, I’ve read, watched and listened to a ton of books and interviews from players of the 1960’s-1970’s. More times than not, a player from that era is shitting all over Rod Gilbert. I would love to see Rod Gilbert write a tell-all book, while he is with us and still able. In the present day, Gilbert enjoys a cushy job and has become Mr. Ranger, (Especially with Frank Boucher’s number 7 jersey being ignored by the Rangers) but god damn pal, whenever Gilbert’s name comes up with old timers, nine out of ten times, Gilbert is getting buried. What gives? I would love to get the other side of these anti-Gilbert tales.

People who have read this book or knew Worsley will laugh at this picture. For those who haven’t, Worsley had an affinity for pineapple squares. Photo Credit: AddaPinch.com

Before the show & tell part of the blog, where I show you pages from the book, I want to make clear that Worsley talks about his entire career in “They Call Me Gump”. Written immediately after his retirement, Worsley came into the book with a fresh mind, as everything was still fairly recent.

Worsley, a native of Montreal, loved his time with the Canadiens. Obviously, he had his greatest success there, even if it was with the Rangers where he first made his name. Of note, despite growing up in Montreal, as a child, his family were Maroon fans, because the Maroon’s were for English speaking fans, while the Canadiens were for the French speaking fans.

Worsley jokes about the Rangers throughout the whole book and laughs at their mediocrity. You’d have to ask someone who truly knew him, but the impression that I got after reading the book was that Worsley despised his time with the Rangers, the front office and thought the organization was clueless.

Keep in mind, this book was released during the “Fat Cat” Ranger days, so I truly believed I was getting contempt out of Worsley about the team, as Worsley brought up the topics of money and contracts throughout the book. Furthermore, the Rangers never even officially told him he was traded and it seemed like he held on to that disrespect until his dying days.

Away from the Blueshirts, Worsley talks in-depth about his time in Montreal and with the Minnesota North Stars. While most fans may be familiar with Worsley’s run on those deep Hab teams, I thought Worsley’s recollection of his time in Minnesota was most fascinating. After all, this book came out right after his retirement and he had a job with the organization. However, you could really feel his appreciation for the Minnesota club jumping off the pages.

Without further ado, let’s share some pages from “They Call Me Gump”, with my comments about those pages.

NOTE: The following pictures of book pages come from “They Call Me Gump”. The publisher, Dodd Mead, is since out of business, so I don’t have to worry about being sued by sharing pages from a 44 year old book! Enjoy!

If always amazes me how these guys worked a summer job. Right now, Lundswiss is getting a mani-pedi & an anal bleaching. Also, I hope I can find positive stuff on Phil Watson. Everything that I’ve read/heard all equate him to being an asshole. #nyr#GumpWorsleypic.twitter.com/ANYv5iWzTP

Gump Worsley in 2004, three years before his passing on 1/26/2007. Photo Credit: Hockey Hall of Fame/Montreal Canadiens

Worsley was certainly one of the most interesting men that ever played the game. Whether it was how he acquired his nickname, his one-liners, his fear of flying, being an English speaker in Montreal, contract issues, the trades, the winning, the losing and everything in between, Worsley hits on everything in “They Call Me Gump”.

I’m not going to lie, dropping $60 on a book is a lot of money. If you got the means, I would say go for it. If not, throw it on your Amazon Wish List and hope for the best. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and it’s a shame that it goes for so much money. With no chance of reproduction, this book may get lost in time.

Brady Skjei is a happy man. Of note, notice who’s next to him in this picture – his roommates in Jimmy Vesey & Kevin Hayes.

On July 28th, the Rangers announced that they re-signed Brady Skjei to a six year deal. Before opining on the deal, here’s the official press release from the Rangers:

New York Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton announced today that the team has agreed to terms with restricted free agent defenseman Brady Skjei on a six-year contract.

Skjei, 24, skated in 82 games with the Rangers this past season, registering four goals and 21 assists for 25 points, along with 39 penalty minutes. He was the only Ranger who skated in all 82 games in 2017-18. Skjei was one of eight NHL players who registered at least 150 shots on goal, was credited with 125 or more hits, and recorded at least 115 blocked shots during the past season. He ranked second on the Rangers in hits (127) and blocked shots (119), ranked third in average ice time (21:01), ranked fifth in shots on goal (153), and tied for sixth in assists (21) in 2017-18. In addition, he led Rangers defensemen in even strength points (18), shots on goal, and hits, and ranked second among team defensemen in goals, assists, and points during the past season. Skjei also led the Rangers in average ice time over a 28-game span from February 9, 2018 until the end of the season (22:59).

The 6-3, 211-pounder has skated in 169 career NHL games over parts of three seasons (2015-16 – 2017-18), all with the Rangers, registering nine goals and 55 assists for 64 points, along with 85 penalty minutes. Over the last two seasons (2016-17 and 2017-18), Skjei ranks ninth among NHL defensemen 24 years old or younger in assists and is tied for 10th among NHL defensemen 24 years old or younger in points. Skjei was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2016-17, becoming the third defenseman in franchise history to accomplish the feat (along with Brian Leetch and Michael Del Zotto). Skjei registered 39 points (five goals, 34 assists) and a plus-11 rating during the 2016-17 season, and he tied for fourth among NHL defensemen in even strength assists (27); the only other NHL defensemen who recorded at least 27 even strength assists in 2016-17 were Duncan Keith, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, and Victor Hedman.

Skjei has skated in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games in his career, registering four goals and three assists for seven points, along with a plus-seven rating and 12 penalty minutes. During the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Skjei registered five points (four goals, one assist) and a plus-six rating in 12 games, and he tied the Rangers record for goals by a rookie defenseman in one playoff year (Reijo Ruotsalainen – 1982). In addition, Skjei became the first Rangers defenseman to either lead the team or tie for the team lead in goals in one playoff year since Leetch in 1995.

The Lakeville, Minnesota native was selected by the Rangers in the first round, 28th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Some notes from me, after reading several NHL contract related sites:

— The deal is six years for $31.5M, meaning Skjei will earn $5.25M a season.

— With the deal, Skjei avoids arbitration.

— In the last three years of the deal, a modified no trade clause kicks in, where Skjei can submit a list of ten teams he can avoid being traded to.

The Rangers didn’t throw shade at Skjei. Photo Credit: NY Rangers

With this deal, as usual, Ranger fans went nuts. Some love the deal, some hate the deal. It’s just like anything else that goes on with this team.

For me, the deal doesn’t really bother me, for two reasons. The salary cap is going up season-to-season. Secondly, there will probably be a lockout in 2021, where all these contracts will be re-worked anyway.

What I really took out of this announcement was confusement. After all, if this is a team rebuilding, why are they handing out six year deals? Why are they looking to marry themselves to anyone they don’t have to? Granted, the Rangers didn’t give Skjei a complete no trade or no move clause, so at the very least, they won’t be stuck with him if he fails, like how the Rangers are currently stuck with the bad contract of Marc Staal.

More surprising, Skjei didn’t exactly have a banner year this season. Was it a sophomore slump? Was it the coach? Was it all the roster moves? Was it never having a consistent partner? These are all valid things to talk about if you’re defending Skjei’s perceived regression from Year 1 to Year 2.

The problem, when I see Skjei’s contract being discussed by Ranger fans, lies more within Ranger fans themselves. Like any fanbase, they overrank and overate their own players. Would Skjei get this same deal on the open market? If you go by what his peers are getting, the answer is no.

When I read the wording of the Rangers press release, in regards to Skjei, I’m reminded of the Derek Stepan contract negotiations. Take a look:

I think the real question is this – how long before Ranger fans turn on Brady Skjei? Year 2? Year 3? Year 4?

Brady Skjei is young and if things work out, hasn’t come close to reaching his peak yet. The way I look at his deal, is that it’s a low risk, high reward gamble. At this stage in the game and where the team is, this deal won’t affect the salary cap of the Rangers. Plus, if the Rangers gave Skjei a two year bridge deal, fans would be whining about that too. You can never win!

With the recent history of the Rangers with these long term deals for their defensemen (McDonagh, Girardi and Staal) I’m surprised, not mad, that the Rangers would still give out these six year deals. I thought a wiser approach would’ve been a “wait & see” type of deal. I mean after all, do you really think Skjei is going to win the Norris Trophy this season? Is he going to play so out of his freaking mind, that come July of 2019, the Rangers would’ve regretted not giving him a deal now?

If anything, since the Rangers are able to trade Skjei if he falters, I really don’t have any issue with the deal. I think a lot of the chatter you see online is because there’s nothing else to talk about with this current team. Furthermore, I pull more for the American guys, and with the Rangers front office having their heads stuck in the ass of Sweden, it’s nice to see a USA boy get a vote of confidence.

End of the day – good for Skjei. Now earn it. If there is any thing to be concerned about, perhaps it’s that he’s now guaranteed money, set for life and living with two alleged potheads. Where’s the motivation and incentive? We’ll see soon enough.

Good luck Brady Skjei, I’ll be rooting for you.

Will Kevin Hayes remain in NY or is he destined to move south like Raanta and Miller? Photo Credit: JEFFREY

As I am putting this blog to bed, Kevin Hayes just signed a one year deal with the Rangers, good for $5.125M for the 2018-2019 season. The ornery Dolan ass kisser, known as Larry Brooks, calls this deal “surprisingly high.” That’s pretty funny & ironic, as Hayes usually looks “unsurprisingly high”.

Again, with the Rangers having so much cap room this season and being a team that’s better off losing than being knocked out in the first round, the money isn’t really an issue with Hayes, it’s the years.

Kevin Hayes may be on his way out of New York. With Hayes and the Rangers not being able to come to terms on a long term deal, Hayes becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of this one year deal. In other words, barring a new contract from now until the trade deadline, the odds are very likely that the Rangers will trade Hayes to a playoff team, rather than letting him walk for nothing.

A few blogs ago, when talking about the current Rangers, I made my opinions clear. The Rangers are better off chasing the number 1 overall pick, by any means necessary. Bottom line is this, Kevin Hayes, in the 2018-2019 season, isn’t going to make or break the Rangers. If they gotta move on, so be it. I don’t think Hayes has ever lived up to the hype that preceded him. I think Hayes is a quality hockey player, but if the Rangers lose him, there are plenty of other fish in the sea.

It sucks having this attitude, but I have accepted the rebuild, which is why it drives me nuts that Hank and Staal are still here. However, one must be realistic – the Rangers aren’t going to do anything this season. In a “keep your fingers crossed, anything can happen world” maybe the youth catches fire like the way the Yankees did in 2017. I just wouldn’t hold my breath.

When it comes to Skjei and Hayes, I think the Rangers still have the position of power, which is what you want to see as a fan. I expect a long season, so really, whatever deals they are signing now makes no real significant impact.

In any event, welcome back Kevin Hayes and I believe your fitting for a Tampa Bay Lightning jersey will occur around St. Patrick’s Day, 2019.

That about wraps up this manifesto for July 30th, 2018. As far as the next one, I’ll be back if something big happens, like if ICE deports Henrik Lundqvist. If that doesn’t happen, I have another game ready for the Delorean treatment and several other projects on tap.

Funniest gumper story ever: my parents Ron their honeymoon & go 2 a game. During warm-ups 1 of the players took a slapshot from the blue line. Deflects off Gumper’s stick in to the stands where it meets Mom’s head! She doesn’t get the puck, goes home w/ stitches & grandpa almost killed dad!